Oceanview
by Beacker1160
Summary: Rowan is a 14-year-old boy who lives in the mini-region of Oceanview, attending the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies. When a large storm rolls into the huge island and a mysterious pokemon is sighted, will he, along with his trusty prinplup William and his friends, find out what is going on and save the citizens of Oceanview before it's too late?
1. Prologue

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone! This will be my 2nd fan fiction, after The Shadow Tunnel (which is about Minecraft). This will also be my first tale about Pokemon! I used to love the games (and especially Pokemon Platinum) when I was 10, so I guess now I'll revisit that old world of mine's by writing a fan fiction! I know this particular story isn't very popular (at the time of this writing it only has 24 views, despite me releasing 3 chapters), but that doesn't matter! I will keep writing, not only for others, but for myself as well!**_

_**I'm also quite busy (violin/piano practice, writing a book, writing The Shadow Tunnel, and school, and etc.), so I may not have much time for this!**_

_**This is told from Rowan's point of view! It's rated T for some light romance (eheheheh), and scary/cartoon violence scenes (not that there are any cartoons, but you get what I mean).**_

**_As always, please leave a review or a favorite! Even a small comment of appreciation really makes my day, and motivates me to write more!_**

**_Now, I know you didn't come here to hear my blabbering, so on with the story!_**

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My name is Rowan. I am a 14 year old boy with black hair, and blackish eyes. My skin is fair, like my parents. I wear glasses.

I also live in the world of Pokemon.

Which region? I don't live in a region, currently. I came from Sinnoh, though. I know that for sure.

I live in the mini-region of Oceanview. It's a pretty large island. I think it deserves to be a region. But the authorities are reluctant to do that. They think that with Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova, there are enough regions.

Which is fine with me, really. I don't think of it much. My life is too busy, anyway.

The reason for the busyness? I attend the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies. It's very competitive. I am learning to become an Arena Contestant, which means I have to spend hours a day studying and practicing with my prinplup, called William.

An Arena Contestant? That means I challenge the various gyms and battle arenas around the world. Arena Contestants have to be very strong and smart, and they must know how to use their pokemon to achieve victory.

Which, like I said before, means quite a lot of practice.

But enough about that. Let me tell you about Oceanview.

In Oceanview, there are two main towns. One is called Goldenfield, and the other is named Seacrest. Goldenfield is located near the center of Oceanview. Seacrest is a port city, built in the south.

There's also a small village known as Snowfield, which is located in the north, where the mountains are. I don't know much about it. I think it's a small research town. I'm not sure. Even though it's not far from the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies (which is also located in the mountain range), I've never been there before.

My father works in Snowfield. He's a scientist. I don't know what he studies, but whatever it is, it must be important, because he gets paid well. My family can afford a nice townhome in Goldenfield.

Not that I'm in Goldenfield much.

You see, the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies is a boarding school. That means you sleep there too, instead of going back to your home every night. There are dormitory buildings around the school, some for the girls, some for the boys. There's also a large cafeteria, which is built to serve the students breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I come home every two weekends, and on holidays. My father doesn't visit much, and it's usually my mother and my young sister, called Annie, at home. Goldenfield is a pretty nice place. I always look forward to visiting there. It's warm and sunny, unlike the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies, which is usually very frosty, snowy, and cold. The city also has a lot of fun things to do, like the annual Pokeblock (a popular food that many people feed to their pokemon) and Poffin (another type of food that comes from my home region, Sinnoh) festivals. There's also many cafes, restaurants, and even a large library. William likes the library very much, though he can't read.

Sometimes, my father comes down from Snowfield and takes me, Annie, and William out to see the sights around the town. Annie adores William, since she can't have her own pokemon yet. She also likes Snowstorm, which is my father's Glaceon, though not as much, since she rarely sees him.

But back to Oceanview.

The southern beaches are very popular among the tourists. Sometimes, if I get the luck to go down there on holidays, I can usually see people from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova sunbathing, swimming, or licking ice creams. But it's their pokemon that really interest me. Once, I thought I saw a snivy. Another time I got to meet a mudkip, which is a cool pokemon that I really like. Too bad it's from Hoenn.

I wish Oceanview had its own unique pokemon, but the scientists haven't found any yet. Instead, the land is populated by a mix of pokemon from Kanto and Johto. For some reason, there aren't any Hoenn or Sinnoh pokemon. And no Unova pokemon have been sighted, since Oceanview was formed long before Unova had been discovered.

As for William, my mother tells me my father brought him with me when we moved to here from Sinnoh. He was just a little baby piplup back then. Now he's a prinplup, though he still has some of his old piplup fur, since he just evolved a month ago.

Oceanview is a pretty nice place. In the north (where Snowfield and Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies is located), there's a large mountain range, called the Icypeaks. Towards the middle of the mini-region, there's a lush valley, where Goldenfield is located. There are forests at the top of the valley, and fertile farming soil in the lower areas. To the west, there are more mountains, and to the east, there is a mysterious, swampy forest. In the south, woods cover most of the land, but then it becomes plains, and finally, the beaches. Seacrest is located in the southwest. There's a small fishing town called Yarenville, which sits by a small cove in the southeast.

Other than that, I don't think there are any more towns.

But there is an abandoned village called the Ghost Town, which sits in the middle of the eerie, eastern swamps. Close to the village is a strange place called the Grim Tower. Many of the Oceanview citizens stay clear of that area. It's rumored that the Grim Tower is haunted, which isn't very surprising, considering that most of Ghost Town is populated by, well, ghost pokemon.

The seasons in Oceanview are mild. In the summers, Seacrest gets sweltering hot, but Goldenfield only gets a bit warmer than usual. During the winters, Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies and Snowfield get unbearably cold, but Goldenfield remains pretty much the same. I don't know about the climate of Yarenville, though. It's pretty isolated from all the other towns, and the locals, according to my friend Garret's dad (who is a traveling businessman that's been to Yarenville several times), don't communicate much to any visitors.

Now that I've said pretty much everything about Oceanview, there's one last thing I forgot to tell you about.

Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies is not the only school.

There's a rival academy, called the Goldenfield School of Pokemon Trainers.

It's located in the lush wheat fields a bit north of Goldenfield. The school mainly specializes in training Wilderness Rangers (who are supposed to travel the lonely roads and forests between different cities and help out stranded people and pokemon) and Domestic Trainers (who are supposed to teach pokemon how to do jobs like help carry things and use their powers to help people do difficult jobs, or train pokemon to become pets). They're larger than the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies, which specializes in training Pokemon Specialists (who study and heal pokemon) and Arena Contestants, but we've traditionally been better than them.d

I think that's about it.

I've told you about who I am. I've told you about Oceanview, and about Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies. I've also talked about the Goldenfield School of Pokemon Trainers.

I guess it's time to go.

But I'll be back, I promise.

But right now, my mother wants me to take Annie and William out to walk around Goldenfield, so I've got to hurry. See you. And thanks for taking the time to read about me.

I hope you'll come back later, so I can tell you more.


	2. The Pokeblock Cafe

Goldenfield is a nice place, especially during the late summer. A cool breeze blew through the sunny town as I led Annie out of the townhouse, which was surrounded by a small garden that my mother tended to. The house was five stories tall and built out of some sort of white, marble-like material. My bedroom was on the fifth floor, and I could see its windows, glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

"Can we go to the Pokeblock Cafe?" Annie asked me as she followed me out of the gated fence, which was painted black, at the front of the garden. William waddled casually behind Annie and I, looking at Petal, my mother's roselia, as she tended to some flowers in the garden.

The street was full of people and pokemon, since it was the busiest time of the afternoon. I saw a man walking down a street with a pansage, which looked like a leafy monkey, following him. He must be a tourist, I thought, since pansage were only found in Unova. Further down the road, a girl walked along with her tailow, trying to calm it down.

"Well? Can we go?" Annie asked again, and I realized that I hadn't answered her question. Hesitating for a bit, I considered if the Pokeblock Cafe was a good place to go to. It's all the way across town, but it's a very good cafe, and William loves it. Still, I wasn't sure if we had enough time. Deciding to go, but make it very brief, I nodded to her and said, "Yeah, let's go. But we can't stay for long, because we have to go back home soon…"

The Pokeblock Cafe was a corner cafe which featured large, bright red-and white umbrellas, a small outdoor dining area, and a separate menu full of Pokemon food. It was also a popular meeting place for Winterhill Academy students, and unfortunately, Goldenfield School students as well. The Winterhill Academy students and the Goldenfield School kids tended to stay away from each other, though they (and their pokemon) still got into battles every once in a while.

Looking around from the other side of the street, I saw Garret, who was sitting by one of the tables and reading what seemed like a large comic book, while a large group of what I guessed to be surly Goldenfield School students occupying another table close to him. Three Winterhill Academy students were talking animatedly to each other, though they kept sneaking glances at the Goldenfield School kids, as if they thought the students would attack them any minute.  
"Come on," I said, and William, who had been curiously looking at a ralts (a strange, Hoenn pokemon he had never seen before), waddled over. Together, Annie, William, and I walked across the street and onto the other side, sitting down at Garret's table in the Pokeblock Cafe.

"Hi dude," he said, and I returned his greeting. "Hey Rowan, guess what?" He waved his comic book in the air. I could see 'POKEMON' written across the cover in yellow letters, with a blue outlining. "I just got the latest Ash and Pikachu comic book!" He seemed excited as he dived back into the pages, occasionally whispering, "wow," or "cool…"

I stifled a laugh. I never really liked Ash, nor was I fond of his pokemon. Ash and his pikachu never bothered to visit Oceanview. They were probably somewhere in Unova now, filming episodes and signing autographs. Personally, I found his adventures boring, since every single series involved nothing but some random machine Team Rocket built and pikachu always saving the day (which got irritating after a while).

Still, I could understand Garret's fanaticism with Ash and his pikachu. He had come from Kanto, and he was a big fan of television, which meant he was exposed to more than enough Ash and Pikachu episodes when he was young. Although most of us had outgrown the childish TV show, he hadn't. Even though he was 14, he still went on and on about Ash and Pikachu, and he always bought the comic books as soon as they came out. Annie seemed to like the series too, and she had sidled up to Garret, peeking at the book from behind his arm.

I didn't notice the waiter until he was standing next to me. "Sir," he said, and I looked up at him. "What would you like?" Reaching for the menu, I casually flicked through it, ordering Annie and myself Nanab fruit smoothies. William looked at me hopefully as I opened it to the Pokemon Snacks section, and I decided to order him a plate of light blue, Oran Berry flavored pokeblocks (a cube-like food that he loved) and two Watmel Berry poffins for dessert. The waiter nodded and left. Garret continued to flip through his comic book while he lazily stirred his Pinap Berry smoothie. I took out my pokeball and recaptured William, waiting for the meal to come.

Just as the food was about to arrive, I heard someone walking across the street and turned to see Victoria, who also attended the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies. She was a very pretty (and quite tall) asian girl who was also 14, and her delcatty, called Alice, walked by her side. Reaching the cafe, she sat down next to Garret and I, while Alice walked over to one of the potted plants and poked at the flowers.

"Oh, hello, Rowan and Garret," she said breathlessly, as if she had just ran here. She was dressed in a blue and gray plaid skirt, with a matching gray vest. Her blue and white Winterhill Academy tie was tucked into the vest, sitting in front of her white collar shirt. She even wore the traditional black cloak around her, which looked a bit worn after four years of use.

"Why are you…dressed for school?" Garret asked curiously, peeking over the top at Victoria. It was true, she was in school uniform. Her flowing black hair fell past the cloak, and her glasses glinted in the afternoon sunlight as she replied, "School starts in three days. Why not? I'm practicing. Do you see anything out of place, Rowan?"

I studied her critically. She had her blue and gray plaid skirt and gray vest. Her tie was tucked in. She also had her black shoes and long socks, which was customary in the colder regions. But there was one thing missing…

"Victoria, you forgot your Pokemon Specialist badge," I said, noticing the empty patch on her vest where she had forgotten to pin it on. "Oh," she said, looking down at her clothes. "I'll go get it…" she said, standing up. "Can you take care of Alice for a second?"

As she walked across the street to her house, which was just down the road, I saw several of the surly Goldenfield students turn to stare nastily at me. The looks on their faces weren't friendly, and I realized that it was a mistake for Victoria to have worn her school uniform. Now, they would probably want to pick a fight with us, since Winterhill and Goldenfield students were often hostile with each other.

"Hey…" one of them said, eyeing Alice, who was playing with the potted plant. "Got yourself a _girlfriend_, huh?" Standing up, he looked threatening as he took out a pokeball. "Capture that," he told one of his friends, pointing at Alice. "No! Stop!" Garret yelled, pulling his own pokeball out of his pocket. However, the large and surly Goldenfield student only laughed as his friend threw his pokeball. A weepinbell, which was a yellow, plant-like pokemon with vine arms, emerged. "Weepinbell!" the Goldenfield student yelled. "Wrap that delcatty!"

Before Garret could do anything, the weepinbell had Alice in its grip, squeezing the delcatty with its vines. Alice struggled to get free, but her efforts were the rage bubbling up in me, I reached into my pocket and took out William's pokeball. The hard edges of my Arena Contestant badge felt cool against my fingers, but I ignored it, my mind occupied with trying to get the Goldenfield bullies to back off and release Alice.

Just then, we heard someone running toward us, and Victoria appeared, her shiny Pokemon Specialist badge pinned onto her school uniform. She seemed to have realized that the Goldenfield students were attacking Alice, and as she arrived by us, she said, "Stop it! Please! Can't you see you're hurting it?" I knew she didn't have an second pokemon (none of us did), and Alice was in too much pain to follow orders. Annie looked scared, and she backed into a corner, staring frightfully at the Goldenfield students.

"Fight me then. Make me release that delcatty. Huh? Whatcha gonna do about it?" The Goldenfield student taunted. Then, taking out his own pokeball, he threw it to the ground, releasing an ekans, which was a snake pokemon which hissed and snarled. Victoria suppressed a scream. I knew she hated anything that looked like a snake, and she backed off, looking frightened. The Goldenfield kids roared with laughter as Alice struggled to breathe.

It was over in a few seconds. The leader of the gang of Goldenfield students started to say something, apparently ordering his ekans to attack Alice, or worse, Victoria. Both Garret and I whipped out our pokeballs, releasing William and Howl (Garret's growlithe). We yelled out attacks at the same time, and William shot a jet of water at the ekans, while Howl threw a stream of flames, setting the weepinbell on fire. The Goldenfield students were knocked back into several tables, pushing them over. Several passerby and Annie screamed, and the cafe manager rushed out, looking scared and confused.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked us, and both Garret and I started talking at once. The Goldenfield kids were in a daze, and the surly one with the ekans was getting up slowly, his eyes disoriented. The ekans itself was soaking wet and sprawled on the floor, hissing at us. The weepinbell was nowhere to be seen, though I eventually spotted its burnt form, lying among one of the flower pots. It peered at us hostilely, but it was too weak to attack back.

"Both of you-what happened?" the cafe manager repeated. Garret was fuming at the Goldenfield student who had attacked Alice. The delcatty was in Victoria's arms, and she was trying to calm it down. "They started it," I told the manager. "One of them-the big one, he was threatening us, and then his friend's pokemon attacked that person's delcatty." I pointed at Victoria, who looked half stunned and half worried. "She's our friend, you know, and the weepinbell was hurting it, and the guy wouldn't stop and he said we would have to fight him. We didn't want the delcatty to be hurt, so, we...we tried to drive off the Goldenfield people..."

But the cafe manager was merciless. "Out! Out!" she barked, shoving us, along with Annie, towards Victoria, who was standing by the sidewalk. She ushered the Goldenfield students away from the cafe as well, while the waiter was mumbling to himself, straightening the tables that William and Howl had knocked over. Victoria joined us, a trembling Alice in her arms, and we proceeded to walk away from the Pokeblock cafe.


	3. Goldenfield Park

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! I'm glad at least a few of you are reading this fanfiction! I have decided it will be worth my time to continue to develop it! Like I said before, I will be very busy, so I may not be able to update every single day, though I will try my best!**_

**_So go on ahead and read the 3rd chapter! I made this in the middle of the night (in my timezone, it's already 1:00 AM), because I'm just that kind of crazy (especially because I have to get up early at 7:00 AM tomorrow)! So please, make my effort worthwhile and give me some views, because we all know I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (optional: please leave a review. I eat reviews for dessert. Even a small comment of appreciation will make my day [and give me cavities from consuming too many sweets])._**

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"That guy!" Garret fumed as we walked through the Goldenfield Park. Tailows were flying around and nesting in the trees, while several poliwag and goldeens were swimming in the ponds. "I mean, he had to do that? Accuse you of being Victoria's boyfriend?" Victoria blushed, though I was determined to keep my face straight. I was too angry to be embarrassed, anyway. "And then? He has to try to _kill_ Alice! And he's like, 'Oh, fight me, loser! Bet you won't even last ten seconds!' It's sickening!"

Garret finished his rant, and a sullen silence fell on the three of us. Then, Victoria said, "I don't think he-you know, meant to kill Alice? Pokemon are hard to kill...nobody has found one that's died of anything but old age, I think he was only trying to make her faint, and intimidate me with...that...that snake..." She shivered, and I could tell even thinking about snakes frightened her. Nearby, a bench appeared from behind a yellow-leafed tree, and we sat down. Victoria's silky black hair blew in the wind, and she raised her hand to pull it back. The sky was golden, and it had been almost two hours since the Goldenfield students had attacked Alice and we had been shooed away from the Pokeblock Cafe.

We weren't alone. I could see a group of Goldenfield girls giggling as they walked past a nearby path. My hand automatically went for William's pokeball before I remembered that I had let him go. He was probably somewhere by now, accompanied by Annie and Howl. Even though the Goldenfield students probably weren't going to attack Alice or us, I was still jittery after the battle at the Pokeblock Cafe.

I heard the crunching of gravel before I saw Simon emerge from behind a corner hidden by tall hedge bushes. He had large, round glasses, unlike Victoria's small, rectangular ones, and he had on his school uniform, which was even more crisp and fancier than hers. He had the traditional gray Winterhill vest, with the blue and white tie, which was tucked into the vest, in front of the white collar shirt. He also had black dressing pants, also part of the uniform, along with his cloak, which bore the symbol of the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies (a blue and white pokeball with a large metallic blue and black W imposed on the front). His blonde hair was perfectly groomed and immaculate.

Stopping next to us, he briefly said hi to us, focusing on Victoria instead. Simon had always been...very taken with Victoria, and Garret and I had to suppress laughs as he tried to form a coherent sentence in front of her. Victoria seemed perfectly calm, while Simon was nervous and chattering.

Neither of us liked Simon that much, mainly because he was very formal and slightly pompous and snobbish, acting as if he was better than everyone. He came from a rich family, and he was able to afford the best, which was very apparent the minute you glanced at his shiny, state-of-the-art pokeballs and crisp, new uniforms. I was glad he wasn't studying to become an Arena Contestant, because if he was, Garret and I would find every single chance to defeat him just to show him and his snivy (he came from Unova) that money wasn't everything.

"Well umm...want to come over for some...err...Hondew Berry tea, or something, the day before school?" Simon asked her as Garret and I pretended like we weren't listening, though inside we were howling with laughter. Still, I felt kind of disappointed that Victoria was spending the last day of summer break over with Simon. I had actually been hoping that she, Garret, and I could go out and have a last bit of fun, and I hoped that the visit would be short.  
"Sure, I'll be there," Victoria replied, though it was hard for her to mask the obvious displeasure in her voice. "See you then, Simon," she said, a little too sweet to be plausible. However, Simon took it in, and he smiled, cast a disdainful glance at us, and left.

"Ugh..." Victoria said, shaking her head as Simon disappeared, probably to his father's mansion. "I dislike Simon so much! He gets in my way when we're studying pokemon specimens, always thinks he's helping, and he's the clumsiest person I've ever seen! He trips over his own feet and knocks over what seems like a million test tubes a day! And his snivy's always bullying Alice, I've seen it happen...and, well, now I'm stuck with him for at least a few hours..."  
Garret finally couldn't hold it back anymore. "Ahahahah!" he laughed, "Hondew Berry tea? That's-that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, you know Hondew Berries taste spicy, bitter, and horrible, he should've made some Watmel Berry tea or something, I mean, I know they're a bit bitter, but still! Hondew Berries! And you thought he was smart, haha..."

* * *

It was evening when I returned home with Annie and William. Petal had gone somewhere to do something else, and as I opened the wrought-iron black gate of the fence that separated the garden from the sidewalk, I breathed in the deep scent of the various berry and flower plants that grew there. Several Watmel Berry plants were lining the sidewalk, their stems filled to the brim with the green and pink berries. A patch of Cheri Berry plants looked vibrant in the darkening sunlight, and a Chesto Berry tree was giving off an strong, earthy fragnance.

Sighing, I walked up the gravel path as Annie shut the gate behind me. I saw the lights on in the townhome, and I dreaded the moment I had to deal with my mother. After all, the manager had probably called her and informed her of the incident. However, given how the cafe manager had acted, I was pretty sure she would not give her an accurate account of what happened, since she wasn't there and she didn't seem too inclined to listen to us.

As soon as I opened the door, Annie ran to my mother and asked to help with dinner. William waddled after her, and soon, the two of them were happily cooking poffins in the kitchen. Meanwhile, I closed the door behind me and took off my sneakers, waiting for my mother to lecture me.

"Rowan," she said, and I realized she had come out of the kitchen. Here it comes, I thought. Bracing myself, I got ready for her lecture.  
"Ms. Merringer, who owns the Pokeblock cafe, told me you, along with two of your friends, got into a fight with several Goldenfield students. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

I repeated the explanation I had given Ms. Merringer. I told her about the big Goldenfield student making the weepinbell choke and bind Alice. I also told her about the part where the leader of the gang tried to attack Alice or Victoria with the ekans. Mom nodded, but she had a strange look on her face.

"That's not what Ms. Merringer told me. She said you had attacked 3 innocent students randomly, and that she has bad publicity now that you've gotten into a fight with those kids right in front of her cafe."

"She isn't telling the truth." I could feel my anger coming up again. Ms. Merringer had lied and made it seem like it was all my fault. "She wasn't even there, she didn't see it happen. Both Garret and I tried to explain to her, but she wouldn't listen. All she wanted to do was shove us away from her place."

"Rowan, no matter what that Goldenfield student did, even if it was choking your friend's pokemon, you do not fight them. You should have gotten Ms. Merringer or a responsible adult."

"But if I hadn't acted, Alice could have been hurt! The weepinbell was vicious, it was choking her, what could I do-"

"Rowan, I understand," my mother said wearily.

"You believe me then?"

"I don't know. I can't decide whom to believe, you or Ms. Merringer."

"You mean you're actually going to believe what she said, even though she wasn't there?" I asked scathingly. My mother shook her head, her face worried. "I have witnesses, you know. I could call Victoria or Garret on the phone now, and have them come over and tell you the truth about what actually happened," I added.

"It's too late for that. I don't want to disturb their parents."

"But the sun hasn't even gone down!"

"Rowan, you heard me."

"But-"

"Rowan, I know what you mean. I'm not going to punish you. I know that those Goldenfield students provoked you. I'm only asking that you keep your temper down. I know what it feels like to be bullied like that, it happened to me before, but there are better ways to deal with it than possibly hurting them and getting yourself in trouble by battling with them," my mom said with a sense of finality.

Sighing angrily, I walked up the stairs, mumbling under my breath. William seemed to sense my angry feelings, because he left the kitchen and went up to me. We both entered my room after climbing the staircase to the top of the house. I sat down tiredly on my bed, watching the setting sun. William, with some difficulty, pushed himself up beside me, and we sat there in silence.

It was about ten minutes later that my mother shouted, "Dinner's ready!" Walking out of my room, William and I descended the stairs together, not in the mood to run down to the 1st floor, racing each other like we usually did.

The dinner was delicious. There were platters of different berry breads, along with salad and some sort of meat. For dessert there were some poffin-like pastries. Annie brought William his tray of Pokeblocks, Berries, Poffins, and various fruits. William began eating the food he was given, while I ladled sausages onto my plate and picked up some of the bread slices. My mother frowned and dumped some salad onto my plate, saying something about a 'balanced diet'. I was still feeling lucky from getting off the battle without being punished, so I didn't protest, not wanting to put her in a bad mood and having her change her mind.

The food wasn't too bad, though I hated the salad, like usual. Annie offered to eat some of it, since, for some unexplainable reason I could not began to imagine, she loved vegetables. However, my mother was watching us like a fearow, so I didn't take the risk of sneaking my slightly wilted leafy greens onto her plate.  
After I suffered through the vegetables and ate the bread and meat (washing it down with Moomoo Milk, which wasn't too bad), it was time for desert. The poffin-pastries were okay, and the sweetness helped put me in a better mood. I fed some to William (who loved it instantly), and ended up giving the whole thing to him, since I wasn't very hungry.

Walking back up to my room, William and I trudged onto the bed. William dozed off immediately, and I recaptured him. Then, I closed and locked the door, and looked inside my bag. Sure enough, my phone was there. Flipping it open, I dialed Victoria's number, since Garret's dad was pretty strict about not allowing his son to be caught up in the 'cell phone addiction', only allowing for emergency or educational calls.

"Hello?" Victoria's voice said, and I replied, "It's me, Rowan."

"Oh. Err…Rowan, I'm kind of in an…awkward situation right now. I um…I'm in the middle of giving Alice a bath, and she won't stop squirming…yeah, and she's got the vine imprints all over her…eww, that weepinbell _drooled_ on her, or something like that, must've been digestive juice, can you believe that? Anyway…yeah, can you call back in, like, ten minutes? Bye."

Closing my phone, I lay back on my bed and looked at the ceiling, which was still covered in glow-in-the-dark stars. My father had put them there for me when I was only six, back when I didn't have a pokemon, back when we had just moved to Oceanview, and my dad was working from home for that big Sinnoh corporation...

It was almost startling to see that fifteen minutes had passed by the time I checked the clock. Had I really spent fifteen minutes staring at the ceiling, reminiscenting my past? Getting up, I dialed Victoria's number, and she answered.

"Oh, hey, I just finished bathing Alice. She's in her pokeball, sleeping or something. Anyway. What do you want to talk to me for?"

I told her about my argument with mom.

"That Merringer woman is completely foul! She told my mom the same lying story as well! And my mom wasn't mad or anything, just staring at me strangely, because I'd never gotten in trouble before, and-oh Rowan, you wouldn't believe this, she said I was encouraging you guys! I wasn't even there, and-and well, she made it sound like I was yelling 'Go Rowan, Go Garret! Let's bully these innocent students!' or something!"

Sighing audibly, I replied, "Yeah, Ms. Merringer really did something this night. I don't think we should go back to the Pokeblock Cafe. Not that she's even going to allow us to come within several dozen feet of it."

"I know, that's annoying, because no matter how bad she is, the food was still good. Alice loved that place…well, I'm sure we can find a better place." She sounded hopeful. "Why don't I go look in my travel and tourism book or something? You know, I still have it, from when I moved here six years ago, and yeah…wait, where did it go?"

"Have fun looking for it…" I said drably.

"Yeah-oops, my dad is coming upstairs. I'm-err, not supposed to be on the phone now. I've got to-uhh, sleep. Gotta go! Bye!"

And with that, the phone disconnected. I slumped back down on the bed, tiredly stuffing it into my backpack, which was already full of forms, permission slips, and a large amount of paperwork for the school officials.

I didn't notice when my mother came into my room, turned off the lights, and closed the door.

I had fallen asleep, tired out from everything that had happened today.


	4. Howl's Reversal

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! I'm sorry for the hiatus and the short chapter here, but I've been very busy lately and etc.! Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the battle between Garret and Rowan (spoiler alert: !sniw terraG)! I hope to write the next chatper soon, but my school and book priorities come first, and it's 11:25 PM (school day) right now (because I'm insane to be staying up)!_**

**_The fanfiction view increased to 34 (as of this writing) so that's great! Keep it up guys! :D_**

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It was early morning when I awoke. The sun flooded through the open window, and I laughed when I saw William sitting on my desk, mesmerized at the Goldenfield skyline. He had probably figured out how to open the window blinds, and someone had released him from his pokeball.

"Hey, William," I greeted him, rubbing my eyes sleepily. William simply nodded and went back to staring at the view of the city while I stumbled towards my bathroom, which was wedged by my small closet, already messy due to me searching for my spare pairs of socks and school uniforms.

The restroom itself, however, was quite clean and tidy, which wasn't a surprise since William had taken to the habit of cleaning it out daily. I smiled as I imagined an absurd William dressed like a janitor, mopping the cold, tiled floor. In reality, though, he used a small wet rag and a bucket of soapy water, which my mother supplied him with.

Brushing my teeth, combing my shiny black hair (which, no matter what I tried, remained untidy), and washing my face, I was about done with my morning routines when I decided I should take a shower, even though I would probably stay inside today. Still, I was too tired to bathe in the evening, and I was supposed to do it once a day, so I undressed and turned on the hot water in the bathtub.

Fifteen minutes later, I had changed into new clothes (still casual, as I didn't plan to wear my school uniform until the day before the semester started), tried one last, futile time to comb my hair, and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the light and closing the door behind me. William had left, and I guessed he was at breakfast. My stomach rumbled slightly, and suddenly, I felt very hungry. I pulled open the door to my room and stepped out into the hallway, which seemed cooler and more comfortable than my usually warm room.

Annie's bedroom was across the hall, and there was a large storage closet at the end of the corridor. Towards the other side, there was a massive, rectangular staircase that descended four floors to the living room, kitchen, and dining room.

I began to walk down the stairs urgently, and I reached the bottom just in time to see Annie finish her breakfast. "You're awake," she observed, and walked past me and up the stairs. Looking around for William, I saw him eating several Pokeblocks. He, unlike some prinplups, didn't seem the least bit ashamed at taking food from people. In fact, he almost seemed to enjoy the attention.

I poured myself some Corrn Berry Flakes and filled my bowl with Moomoo Milk. There was a platter of the sweet poffin-bread, and I took some. The Corrn Berry Flakes tasted dry and crunchy, and I decided that the sweet poffin-bread was better. Drinking the last drops of the Moomoo Milk, I carried the bowl to the sink, where my mother was washing them with the aid of Petal.

"I'm going out," I told her. I decided that I didn't want to spend the day locked up inside the townhouse. She nodded, but replied, "Don't get into any fights. Don't get yourself hurt. Don't be reckless. Don't get lost. Make sure you keep an eye on William and your sister. Oh and, Annie wants to come, if you don't mind-"

"I get it, mom. I've heard it a million times."

"Of course you do," she said, and turned back to washing the dishes. Meanwhile, Annie skipped down from the stairs, dressed in her usual skirt and 'I heart Piplup' shirt. Sighing, I walked out of the door with William and her following me. What I really wanted was to have a few quiet hours with William, but apparently, that wasn't going to happen with Annie by our side.

"Let's go to the park," I suggested, and Annie nodded. "I can go see the Poliwag again!" she seemed excited as we crossed the street and began the long walk to the park.

The Goldenfield Park was misty and foggy, and dew clung to the chilly morning grass and leaves. The gravel was damp as it crunched softly under my feet. I was walking aimlessly around, thinking of the new school year at Winterhill. William and Annie had went over to the ponds to play with the pokemon who lived there, so I was alone.

Spotting a bench, I was about to sit on it when I realized that it was covered in dew, and I didn't want to make my pants wet. Sighing, I continued onwards, brushing my way past a low tree branch that was blocking the path.

I pictured myself, dressed in my school uniform and walking to my classes in the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies. I knew I would spend the majority of time in the school, and that we would have very little chance to go outside (except on field days, where we were assigned tasks in the wilderness). I would look forward to the every-two-weekend trips to visit my mother back in Goldenfield, though I wasn't required to go. I would worry about my homework and battle performance. I might even like someone, though I don't know who yet. I remembered what the Goldenfield student had said yesterday. Blushing at the thought of going out with Victoria (seriously, like I would _ever_ do THAT?), I was glad nobody was around.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I heard footsteps. Looking up from where I had been staring at the gravel, I saw Annie approaching with William by her side. "Rowan!" she called, and I saw Garret following her. "Garret wants to battle you!"

Getting up, I approached the three of them. "Want to battle?" Garret asked me, and I saw Howl's pokeball in his hand. Nodding, I beckoned William over to me and I recaptured him, even though I would be releasing him soon for the fight, anyway.

Garret and I walked side by side, heading for the open, tree-less hill part of the park where trainers often battled their pokemon. Annie followed behind us, while other kids occasionally passed by. The path was bright with morning sunlight, and the trees provided some shade, allowing patches of sunlight to shine on the gravel trail.

Reaching the clearing, Grant and I shook hands (it was customary for Arena Contestants to do so before the match) and we turned around and walked to the edges of the clearing. Then, we faced each other and took out our pokeballs, releasing our pokemon at the same time.

"Turn-based or Freestyle?" Garret asked me, and I replied, "Freestyle!" In arenas, there were two main kinds of battles: turn-based or freestyle. In a turn-based battle, one pokemon attacks another, and the pokemon being attacked has to dodge the hit or take damage. It isn't allowed to attack the other pokemon or use moves until its turn. But in a freestyle, the pokemon can attack each other as many times as they want, whenever they want. I liked freestyle better, since it was more interesting.

"Three...two...one..." Garret and I said in unison across the field. Then, we both shouted, "GO!" and began to instruct our pokemon. Howl charged across the field, using Flame Wheel, which wasn't very effective against William, who retaliated with Bubble Beam. Howl dodged the stream of bubbles, and made a small circle, rounding back on William. Both Garret and I were concentrating, and as William continued to dodge the Flame Wheel.

Then, as Howl passed close to William, I saw the growlithe reach out and bite the prinplup on the flipper. "Metal Claw!" I yelled, and William proceeded to slash Howl in the face before he could get away. Both of them howled in pain, and William continued to try to hit Howl with Bubble Beam while the growlithe spun around in a wheel of fire, coming precariously close to William in an attempt to burn him.

Finally, Howl seemed to run out of energy. Coming to a stop, he panted for a few seconds and was rewarded with a blast of bubbles from William. It was super effective, and Howl whimpered for a second before gathering his energy and roaring at William. Since neither of us had another pokemon, and it was a trainer battle, the move had no effect. Still, William was always distracted by roaring, and Howl was able to hit him with Bite twice before he could reorient himself.

Both Howl and William had signs of injury, but neither of them wanted to stop. They snapped and snarled at each other, circling around and glaring at the other in the eye. They moved in a circular motion, almost like a dance, as they rapidly shot bubbles and bursts of fire at each other. Their moves seemed to collide and disintegrate, and neither could successfully hit the other pokemon.

That was when I heard Annie say, "Look! Victoria's here! Alice too!" Howl turned around, distracted by the appearance of Alice. Garret lost his focus as well, but William and I were more disciplined-we often had to train while Annie was calling out things, and we were used to it. William took the opportunity to use Peck on Howl for what seemed like five times before he realized what was going on.

It seemed like I would win. Howl was shuddering with pain and anguish, and he seemed close to fainting. Still, there was a look in his eye, and in Garret's too, as if they had some sort of secret weapon they could use.

"Howl! Reversal!"

It was over. William was thrown into the air by the powerful move. It was brilliant. Reversal got stronger and stronger as the pokemon's HP went down. Howl was close to losing all of his HP, so the move would be at its maximum strength. William feebly tried to get up, but he collapsed back onto the hilly field.

I took out my pokeball and recaptured him.

Garret came across the field, ecstatic at his victory. "That was great!" I told him, and he nodded agreeably. "Howl and I have been practicing it all summer on Cassandra's gardevoir." Cassandra was his older sister, who was in her final year in the Winterhill Academy of Pokemon Studies, and had a summer job at the Goldenfield Pokemon Center.

Victoria walked over with Alice at her side. Garret absentmindedly clicked Howl's pokeball and recaptured him. "That was a great battle, guys," she said, and Garret chuckled. "You didn't even see all of it. What would you know?"

Looking up, I saw that the day had progressed a little. Even though it had only been thirty minutes, it felt like a much, much longer time. Looking at William's pokeball, I told everyone, "Let's go to the Pokemon Center." Grant nodded eagerly, while Alice looked thrilled. "I can see Cassy again!" she said, referring to Cassandra, whom she deeply admired.

Setting off at a brisk pace, Garret, Victoria, Alice and I reached the end of the large park in five minutes. The street was normally busy, and cars made their way past the bustling pedestrians. Unlike the other regions, where cars were almost nonexistant (despite the abundance of streets), Oceanview had quite an unusually large number of vehicles, which often resulted in little kids and pokemon being hit by cars and trucks.

I could see the Pokemon Center a little down the road, and we proceeded to cross the street as the light turned red. It had been a great battle, and I was glad I learned that Garret's growlithe knew Reversal before I went back to Winterhill Academy for another year. It would have been horribly humiliating to be beaten by your best friend in front of all of the other Arena Contestants.


	5. The Pokemon Center

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: To compensate for the short chapter before, I hope this chapter is long enough! Views have gone +50, which I hope is a good sign! As I am forever busy, the next update will probably take a week or even two, so in the meantime, enjoy this extra-long chapter, courtesy of me, Beacker1160!_**

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The Pokemon Center was a two-story building, easily identifiable by its bright, gleaming, red-and-orange roof. Unlike the PokeMart, which was quite small, squat, and blue-roofed, the Pokemon Center looked much larger and more magnificent by comparison. There were seven Pokemon Centers distributed around Oceanview: three in Goldenfield, one in Snowfield, two in Seacrest, and one in Yarrenville, though nobody knew about the operations of the seventh mysterious one. There was also a dilapidated and abandoned Pokemon Center in Ghost Town, back when Ghost Town was actually a town and not an abandoned wreckage. They say that the HP-restoration machine still works in the Ghost Town one, but that the building looks destroyed and abandoned. Nobody is willing to get close enough to find out if that's true or not, though.

As we entered the Pokemon Center, I felt a cool breeze flow across my face. I saw the large Pokemon Healing Machine behind the main desk. There was a Pokemon PC to the right of the counter, and a vending machine to the left. Two escalators sat across the room from each other, one to the basement and the other to the second floor.

People milled about as Garret, Victoria, and I walked up to the desk where Nurse Joy usually sat. Nobody really knew which Nurse Joy was which, but it didn't matter. They all acted the same. Garret used to joke that they were all identical clones, until one day he found a Nurse Joy with a different uniform and hairstyle.

Still, it was mysterious how all of those Nurse Joys acted almost identical. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center," Nurse Joy said. It was their usual response, and Garret seemed bored. "Would you like to heal your pokemon?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll take your Pokemon for a few seconds." Nurse Joy put Howl's pokeball on the Pokemon Healing Machine and turned it on. As we watched, a brilliant blue light encased itself around the pokeball, flashing for a few seconds. Then it disappeared, and Nurse Joy picked it up and handed it back to Garret.

"You go first," I told Victoria dully, while Garret released Howl and bought a Lemonade from the vending machine. "No," Victoria replied, waving away my offer. "William just fought, he needs to recover."

Five minutes later, Victoria and I had both healed our pokemon. Alice seemed to glow with healthiness from her bath and rest, along with the Pokemon Healing Machine's benefits. William's health was normal again, and he was playing with Annie and Howl. I was glad William and Howl never held grudges no matter how many times they lost to each other. My father told me that when he worked in Sinnoh, there had been times when colleagues' pokemon remained hostile to each other for months after a casual battle, though that didn't happen usually.

Nurse Joy left for break, and Cassandra took over, quickly and efficiently taking trainers' pokemon, healing them, and handing them back. Victoria, Garret, Annie, and I sat down on the cushioned seats by the sliding door, observing the Pokemon Center's interior. We didn't really have anywhere we wanted to go, and besides, it was early noon, and downtown Goldenfield, which was close to the Pokemon Center we were at now, would probably be swarming with pedestrians and cars. It would be very easy to get lost, especially with a little kid like Annie.

The door slid open and Simon walked in, his snivy by his side. He noticed us with Victoria, frowned slightly, and walked up to the counter. Recapturing his snivy, he handed the luxury ball nonchalantly to Cassandra. She took it, put it in the Pokemon Healing Machine, and waited as the machine healed the snivy, which didn't make any difference, since it was at full health already. In fact, I had a feeling Simon had probably came here only to spy on us and check on what Victoria was doing. Then I wondered how he knew we were at this particular Pokemon Center.

Just as Cassandra was about to hand Simon his pokeball back, it slipped out of her hand. "Oh," she said, startled, as she tried to grab it from the air, but she missed. It hit the ground with a loud, audible clatter and then bounced back up. But before it could fall again, Cassandra's gardevoir appeared out of nowhere and stared at the ball, levitating it with her psychic powers. Bending down, Cassandra picked it up and handed it back to Simon, saying, "I'm sorry about that."

But Simon only gave her a very, very nasty look and yelled back, "Watch it! This luxury ball cost my father $50,000 Pokedollars! It's limited edition!" Then, releasing his snivy, he looked at it and asked it, "Are you alright? Did that nasty girl hurt you?" His snivy didn't even look hurt, in fact, it seemed to be glad to have an excuse to throw a nasty look at Cassandra. Then Simon and his snivy walked out of the Pokemon Center pompously while Cassandra looked on the verge of tears.

"Cassy!" Annie said, running to the counter. "Don't be sad," she said. "Simon is a very nasty boy, we all know that!" Garret shook his head, while I stood there, not knowing what to say. Cassandra's gardevoir patted her on the back and tried to cheer her up, but she still remained worried and dejected.

"Cassandra, you know Annie's right...why are you making such a big deal about that?" I asked her, and she shook her head again. William looked confused, and I realized I had released him sometime, but didn't know when.

"Don't you two see?" Victoria asked us, and Garret replied, "Huh?" Both of us were clueless as to why Cassandra was so overwhelmed. Clearly, William and Annie were as well.

Sighing, Victoria said, "Simon's father is a very influential government leader. He's quite close to the mayor. The truth is, Simon's father is supposed to be the manager of the city systems, which includes the Pokemon Center and their employees. Now that Cassandra dropped Simon's pokeball, he'll probably complain to his father, and, well...Cassandra could get fired..."

Even Victoria looked sad now. "You have to understand...not everyone is good and well-meaning, you know. Simon's father holds a lot of power...power that he can use to get what he wants...even bend the rules, and..."

But that was enough. Garret got up angrily and looked at me. "Rowan, we're gonna make Simon pay for this. Let's beat his snivy up as many times as we can! We'll show him why he shouldn't mess with Cassandra—or anyone! I bet he's off somewhere now, with his stupid snivy, sneering at us and tattling to his dumb father! We'll show him money isn't the only thing, that brat with slime for brains!"

Nodding, I beckoned William over from where he had been examining a Pokemon Magazine. Goldenfield was well known for its newspaper and magazine businesses, and as a result, there were a lot of different articles and magazines in circulation.

Outside, the air felt pleasantly warm, with a hint of coolness. The park was across the street, while the tall buildings of downtown Goldenfield rose above everything on the other side. Not sure of where to go, I looked up and down the street, which was slightly congested with cars.

"Where do you guys want to go?" I asked Victoria and Garret, hoping to get some suggestions. However, none of them replied. Garret shrugged, looking around at the busy Goldenfield skyline.

"Why don't we come over to my house?" Victoria suggested. She lived close to the Pokeblock Café, and since her parents weren't the richest, they could only afford a 3-story townhome. Since Victoria's dad was a Pokemon doctor and her mother spent her time managing the Pokeblock and berry shop that she had set up on the first floor, Victoria was often helping around the house.

Victoria didn't often invite us over to her home, mainly because it was very small and she worried that it would be embarrassing for her family if we arrived. However, during the summer, she had learned that we weren't going to be overly critical of the small, cramped conditions. In fact, Garret prefered it to his own family's house, despite it being across the town and slightly larger and more comfortable. Now, Victoria felt more comfortable inviting us to her house, and we often went there during the late summer.

Setting off at a brisk pace, we stuck to the street, walking towards the area where Victoria lived. The sun climbed into the sky, and soon, Garret and I were sweating. However, Victoria didn't seem very affected by the heat, and she carried on, with William and Annie walking behind her.

By the time we got to the small, 3-story home, it was around midday. The house looked pretty handsome from the front. It was built with bricks of a brownish color, and the first floor was open to the street, with a sign displaying 'Pokeblock & Berry Shop' in bright, yellow-and-blue letters. There was a small path lined with flower pots that led to the door behind the house, which Victoria, Garret, and I usually used. The front doors were only for customers, and besides, it would take longer to get to the stairs if we came in through that entrance.

Pushing through the gate that separated the backyard (which was surprisingly large) and the front yard (which was tiny, like most townhomes in the area), Victoria held the gate open as Garret, William, Annie, and I went through, ducking to avoid a large berry plant that had grew its way over the path. In the backyard, the aromas of dozens upon dozens of berry trees and fragrant flowers made my eyes water, and my nose filled with the wonderful mixture of scents. Now I understood why Victoria's mother's shop was so popular-the berries and flowers were all home-grown and more lush and tasty than any that you could find at the markets.

The path looped around a Chesto Berry tree before ending at the doorstep of a modest-looking door, freshly painted white. The small window next to the door revealed what seemed like a hallway inside the door, which led to the stairs and towards the 2nd floor.

Victoria pushed open the door, and it emitted a loud squeak that made William turn around in alarm. However, she acted as if it was normal, and it was. For as long as I could remember, that door had always squeaked. It served as a sort of doorbell, announcing that someone had arrived home. We were all used to it, except William. Even though he had been over a ton of times, he always acted as if that squeaking noise was a new thing.

"Mom! Rowan, Garret, and Annie are over!" From somewhere above came a muffled reply: "Okay, Victoria, and have fun! By the way, can you go out and pick the fruit from the garden later during the day? They can help too, if they want!"

Annie cheered. She and William loved to pick fruit from the garden, and the were very eager to do that. Garret smiled and said, "Well, guess we'll have something to occupy us for a few hours later this afternoon," he said, as Victoria led the way up to her room on the third floor, where we would hang around, chat, and play games all the way until it was time to pick the berries from the garden.

It was turning out to be a decent day after all.


	6. An Afternoon At Victoria's Home

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: A really long chapter for a really long hiatus. Over 1,000 words longer than the standard 2,000-or-so chapter. Views have gotten up to 108. Enjoy!**_

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Golden beams of sunlight filtered through the window of Victoria's bedroom. It was a rather small room, with a pink-and-white bed shoved into a corner and a cabinet with a mirror facing it. A lamp sat on a small table, and there was a shelf full of books by the door. Towards the other side of the room, there was a sliding door that led to a small closet, which I didn't know the contents of, since I didn't want to seem rude and ask.

Garret and I sat on the floor, facing each other from opposite sides of the wall. The sun shined through the window and onto my DS, dimming the display. Garret was lucky; he sat directly under the window, and in the shadow.

We were in an intense battle. I had a Pokemon Diamond, and he had a Pokemon FireRed, but today we were both on our Pokemon Platinum, which we both loved. Garret wasn't from Sinnoh, and he seemed to have trouble battling. I, however, was a natural.

We sat, staring at our DSes furiously as we silently punched in commands and tapped on the attacks. Meanwhile, Victoria, who had changed into a casual shirt and skirt, was lying on her bed, reading some huge book on Pokemon Berries. At first, Garret and I rolled our eyes at her when she wasn't looking. We couldn't understand why she was already reviewing. Personally, both of us enjoyed the mad scramble to study right before a teacher passed out a test. Then, growing bored, we just ignored her and focused on our battle. She didn't seem to mind, mainly because she never noticed us. Her glasses glinted in the afternoon sunlight as she buried herself in the textbook.

I didn't know where William and Annie were, but I had a good idea of where they could be. Victoria's mom was down managing the store, and Annie and William were probably helping her. Alice was somewhere in the house, padding around and examining things, while Howl was with her, exploring the 3rd floor.

I heard someone walking up the stairs right before the door to the room opened and Victoria's mother came in. "Victoria, can you help me with the store? I need to go do something, and dad will get home soon, so I need someone to stand in for me for half an hour or so!"

Victoria looked up and replied, "Okay, mom!" and slid off the bed, putting a bookmark in her textbook and walking towards the door. "You guys can stay here," she told us, but we got up too, leaving our DSes on the bed. "Nah," Garret said in a pretentiously bored voice, "We wanna help ya."

Nodding, Victoria led the way again as we descended the stairs down to the first floor. I could see Howl, up on the 5th floor by the staircase, stuck in a potted Tamato plant, with Alice trying to pull him out. I tapped Garret and Victoria and pointed up there. They looked up and laughed.

The stairs ended in a small hallway that ran all the way to where the door to the garden was. On the other side of the corridor, there was yet another door, made of painted wood, leading to the shop. It didn't have any doorknobs, and I guessed that you had to push it.

Opening it, Victoria allowed us to enter before letting it swing back into place behind her. Victoria's mom, a fair skinned asian woman who looked almost like Victoria (but older), came by and smiled at us before walking past the door and out onto the street, towards downtown Goldenfield. Her combusken followed her. It walked a lot more like a person than William, who still waddled, despite being a prinplup.

The store was full of shelves, loaded with pokemon merchandise. There were rows and rows of differently flavored Pokeblocks, a Poffin machine sitting in the corner, and several large, glass-fronted coolers containing Lemonades, Sodas, and Fresh Waters for sale. When I first saw the store, when my mother came to buy berries a few days after we moved to Oceanview, I had wondered why there were no potions or any of the standard items sold by the other convenience stores. Then I told myself that it was a Pokeblock and Berry shop, not a PokeMart.

Next to the poffin machine was a linoleum counter, on which sat a small calculator, several spare Pokedollars in change, and a notepad where the shopkeeper apparently kept records and wrote out receipts. A small fan sat on the corner, blowing constantly. Since the storefront was open to the street, it was impractical to use air conditioning, and although it was windy outside, there was a sticky sort of heat settling in the store.

Victoria walked over to the counter, her apron swishing slightly. Looking at the notepad, she said, "Yeah, as usual, mom left me some stuff to do." The wall behind the counter had a small, stainless steel door, which Victoria opened. Inside, I could see rows and rows of boxes on metal shelves. A strange, frosty mist drifted out of the open doorway, and I guessed it was the freezer or storage. Victoria emerged a short time later with a medium-sized box, walking towards a cooler full of berries. Opening the cardboard box, she began to restock a strange, blue berry.

"Mom says the Yache berries are getting popular," Victoria told us. "I mean, we're all returning to Winterhill, and there's a lot of wild ice pokemon, so the students are stocking up on the Yache berries. They're supposed to weaken ice attacks."

Garret wandered among the shelves while I watched Victoria gently put the berries onto the cooler shelves. I didn't know where Yache berries came from, but they sounded familiar...

Victoria must have noticed my intrigue. "Oh, right," she said, turning around. "Rowan, you might be interested to know that Yache berries are from Sinnoh. Oceanview's climate just isn't right to grow them. They need a colder climate, and although the mountainous north is good enough, it's too high in altitude." Tapping the box, she continued, "These were shipped in from Canalave City, back in Sinnoh, not long ago. They're highly perishable, so I have to get them in quickly, before they start to go bad and rot."

Nodding, I was just about to leave when she motioned me over. "Hey, can you help me? There's a lot of Yache berries, and this box isn't all. I still have to stock two more. I'm pretty much done with this one, so can you go get the next one? It should be in the freezer storage."

I walked to the other edge of the store. Garret was examining a package of Pokeblocks.I knew Victoria's mom made most of the pokefood in the basement kitchen, but she did import things that aren't found in Oceanview, like the Yache berries. Howl wandered in from the door, which he pushed open with his nose, and Garret absentmindedly recaptured him. I didn't know where Alice was, but Victoria had once told us about how she liked to take naps.

The freezer was very cold and uncomfortable. I shivered as I walked down the row of shelves, looking for the Yache berry boxes. Each box had the appropriate inter-region trading labels on them, with tiny descriptions of the trade item. Finally, I located the Yache berries, towards the back, which was considerably colder than the front. A thin layer of frost covered the boxes as I reached out to grab them.

As I gripped the it firmly, my hands slipped, and suddenly, I felt a fiery pain in the finger. Quickly bringing it up to my face, I saw that it had been cut by a small ice crystal. Trying to ignore the pain, I picked up the box again and slowly brought it out of the freezer. My breath fogged in the air, and I was glad to be out of that place.  
Shutting the storage door behind me, I walked over to Victoria. She was almost done shelving the first box. Setting the second one beside her, I brushed off my hands. There was a small stream of red running down my palm from where my finger had been pricked.

"What happened, Rowan?" Victoria asked, looking at my wound worriedly. Since Victoria was training to become a Pokemon Specialist, she had probably learned how to spot, and hopefully, treat the smallest of injuries. Taking my hand into her's, she examined it. Her hands felt icy cold against mine, but then again, she had just been shelving things in the cooler.

"Uhh..." Garret said. He had wandered down to where we were. Looking up, Victoria was surprised for a moment. Then she blushed. I knew the sight of both of us kneeling and holding hands was awkward, but I quickly explained, "I got cut while taking out a box from the storage. Victoria's examining it to see what she can do."

"Oh," Garret replied. "For a moment I thought you two were...yeah...I thought I had stumbled upon an awkward moment..." Victoria blushed harder, but I just smiled. "Yeah, it would have been awkward if I bled to death right here, in the store, from my _fatal_ cut wound." We all laughed.

"So. What are you two doing, exactly?" Garret asked curiously. I was about to answer when Victoria replied, "Well, I was shelving the newly shipped Yache berries. I asked Rowan to go get me another box. Then he cut himself getting it. So now I've got to do something about that." Motioning for me to follow her, she got up and walked towards the counter. Garret casually tagged behind.

"My father always keeps a first-aid kit in the drawer," Victoria explained. "I think he's a bit paranoid. He seems to think that any second now, somebody's going to drop dead." Opening the drawer, she continued. "Well, at least it'll come in handy now."

Taking out an alcohol swab and a band-aid, she learned across the counter, her silky hair falling over the notepad. She reached for my injured finger while Garret watched with a bored look. I instinctively drew back when she tried to apply the hydrogen peroxide, but she was too quick. Before I knew it, she already had my hand in her grasp, and she dabbed a drop of the stinging liquid on it before taking the band-aid, peeling the wrapper off, and sticking it on.

My finger looked slightly ridiculous with the fingertip receding in from the band-aid, but I thanked her anyway. "In Pokemon Specialist training, we have to learn how to deal with Pokemon that are too afraid, too hostile, or just don't want to be treated. I know you're not a Pokemon, Rowan, but you did act like one for a moment." She smiled teasingly at me, and Garret chuckled.

"So, can I help you guys?" He asked, as Victoria continued to put the packages of Yache berries into the cooler. "Sure," she replied. "Just take the packages and put them in the cooler, like me." Garret and I kneeled down like Victoria and began to take the packages and put them on the cooler shelves.

We worked like that for a while. The packaging made crisp, loud sounds whenever we grabbed them, and icy mist rose out of the cooler, much like it did in the freezer. It was quite comfortable to be surrounded by the flowing, cold air. The store was still quite stifling hot, which made the effect even more magnified. Occasionally, Victoria would have to go and deal with a customer, but otherwise, the work was pleasant and undisturbed.

Finally, we were done. My hands ached from the continued trips between the box and the shelf. The Yache berries, despite being small, were actually quite heavy. When I asked why, Victoria explained that a lot of the weight was water, despite the Yache berry generally being dry and sour. It was actually accumulated in the packaging during shipping and transportation between the regions on giant trade barges and cargo ships.

"Okay guys, that was good work," Victoria announced. "Now, we've only got a few more tasks left to do. Mom should be back soon." We moved over to the shelves full of Pokeblocks, in their neat and equally colorful packages. Victoria straightened several rows of Pokeblocks. Several of the packs were displaced, and we ended up rushing around the store, putting them back in their places. As a result, we were even more tired than before.

Just as we were about to finish, somebody came into the store.

It was none other than Simon and his pompous snivy.

As he strolled among the store, examining the wares casually, Simon didn't pay any attention to Garret or me. He would, however, occasionally sneak a glance at Victoria. After what seemed like fifteen minutes, he finally stopped before the coolers. Opening them, he took out five lemonades. He then purchased two packs of Yache berries. Walking over to the counter, he waited as Victoria announced the total amount. "That would be 1950 Pokedollars," Victoria said tonelessly. I could see she was trying to be polite, but I knew that if she had her way, she would slap Simon for ruining the day before school and school in general.

"Of course," Simon replied. Reaching into his Winterhill cloak, he pulled out a fat wad of Pokedollars and extracted 1950 from it. Handing it to Victoria without a care, as if that money was nothing (which it probably was, to him), he turned to walk out, handing a lemonade to his snivy, who grabbed it greedily.

"Remember our meeting, tomorrow, at my father's Goldenfield mansion. And, don't bring these...guys..." he said, stressing the last words with contempt.

The reaction was instant. Both Garret and I whipped out our pokeballs and released William and Howl. Simon raised his eyebrows, as if he couldn't believe we would even try to defeat him. His snivy didn't even look interested. It just kept on drinking its lemonade, acting as if we didn't exist.

"Get out." We both said firmly, and Simon quickly exited. He apparently didn't deem it worthy to take us on, two to one. Sighing, Victoria put the money in the drawer. "I hate him so much," Garret said. We nodded in silent agreement.

"Well, at least he bought a lot," Victoria said. "He sometimes comes to the store. He buys excessively. I don't even know what he'll use all that lemonade for..."

"He'll probably pour it all into one of his father's grand mansion fountains, so it can spew lemonade for pretty girl Victoria when she comes," Garret said mockingly. I knew what he meant. Simon's father's huge mansion was famous for the two huge, elaborate fountains that decorated the front part of the estate. Garret says that he often sees very influential and powerful city officials having picnics there with Simon's dad. We all laughed at the thought of the fountain spewing sticky, sweet yellow liquid.

"Yeah," I added. "And there would probably be insects all over it. To sting snotty little Simon, of course. And what can his poor, useless snivy do? I bet it would just squirt lemonade at the bees." That made Garret and Victoria laugh harder. We brought out our pokeballs and recaptured William and Howl.

"Okay then, the work is done for the day," Victoria announced. "I guess we can relax now." Just then, Victoria's mom stepped into the store. She had a few bags full of potions and other things that I couldn't see. Her combusken carried two boxes in its claws. I could see the altaria that she owned, but it was merely holding a package.

"Shopping spree?" Victoria asked. Her mom nodded. "I got a ton of great deals at the Goldenfield Mall. They had an thrift auction. Plus, I got you a new uniform, Victoria! Okay, it's slightly used, but the owner was very nice and gave it to me for only 5,000 Pokedollars! You know how much they cost...goodness me, I didn't have to get the brand new ones for 15,000!"

"Okay, okay, mom, calm down, we get it..." Victoria said. She had turned slightly pink. I knew it was awkward for us to be watching Victoria's mom lamenting about prices, especially since both Garret and my family were pretty well off.

Walking over to Victoria, Garret said, "Don't worry. When my family used to live in Saffron City, in Kanto, we had such a small one-story house that this one looks like a mansion. And...I don't even want to describe the patchy uniform I had to wear, or the state of my school supplies and clothes, and...oh, the food, it was horrible..."

We were surprised. Garret rarely mentioned his past, except the occasional comment that he was far poorer than Victoria's family when he used to live in Kanto. Victoria looked shocked, and then nodded understandingly. "It was when your dad was in business school, wasn't it?" She asked. Garret nodded, and turned away. He apparently did not want to continue the conversation.

Victoria's mom was silent for a moment, and then continued. "Anyway, sweetie, I'll see if it fits you." Walking over, she took out the uniform. It looked crisp and new, even better than the ones Garret and I had. It even came with its own cloak, winter cardigan, and the snowy white and blue scarf that Winterhill students sometimes wore. Victoria was breathless. She looked at it for a few seconds, and then ran over and hugged her mom. "Oh, mom! It's amazing!" Garret stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do. I pretended to fiddle with my fingers as my eyes wandered towards one of the brightly colored Pokeblock packages.

Finally, Victoria let go. "I can't wait to try it on!" Her mom, who seemed equally perplexed but pleased, handed her the uniform. Victoria pushed open the door to the hallway and ran to her room to change.

Ten minutes later, she burst back into the shop. "Ta-da!" she exclaimed. I looked at her. She did, indeed, look very crisp and sharp in the uniform. Her golden Pokemon Specialist badge was pinned on the grayish vest, and her white shirt and striped grey and blue tie looked impeccable. She had even put on her scarf and cloak, though it wasn't needed in the weather.

All in all, she looked better than Garret and I combined. We could never get our ties to stay in our vests as perfectly as she did. Our shoes never shined as much as her's. Our pants, vests, and sleeves were never more crisp and clean. I was amazed at how neat Victoria could dress. No wonder Simon fancied her. She was, indeed, very pretty in her uniform.

"It fits me perfectly!" Victoria gushed excitedly. Her mom nodded with approval. "Okay, sweetie, but you'll need to take it off now, before it gets wrinkled!" Victoria nodded, and walked back up to her room.

"So." Victoria's mom said. "You two are her friends, right?" We nodded. "She does talk a lot about you two. And what about that boy, Simon?" Garret and I scowled. "He's the biggest brat ever." Victoria's mom nodded. "I see. Victoria didn't like him much either."

We remained silent for a while. Then, Victoria's mom said, "Would you two like to stay over for dinner? You two did work very hard in the store today. Besides, I just brought home some really good food. I'm sure you two would enjoy it."

"We'll need to call our parents first," I said. Garret nodded. "My father gets a bit worried if I don't come home before sunset," he added. I looked out at the street. The last golden rays of sunlight were casting long shadows over the buildings.

"Of course," Victoria's mom said. "Follow me." She led us up the stairs to the kitchen, dining room, and living room on the 2nd floor. The kitchen smelled pleasantly of different kinds of berries, meat, and rice. There was a picture of what seemed like Victoria's mom and dad together, except there was no Victoria, and they seemed years younger.

The kitchen counter was covered in little notes scrawled in either the messy handwriting of Victoria's mom or the neat, clipped text of Victoria's dad. The overhead light cast a warm glow, while ventilator in the ceiling made a low, humming sound, which the linoleum refrigerator amplified. All in all, it was a very cozy kitchen.

A cordless phone sat on the counter, with a list of telephone numbers taped to it. Someone had written Garret's and my parent's phone numbers near the bottom of the list. Victoria's mom glanced at it for a second before dialing it and handing the phone to me.

"Hello?" My mother said. Her voice sounded different over the phone, as if it was digital. "This is Grace. Who is it?" Grace was my mother's name.

"Mom. It's me. Can I stay over at Victoria's for dinner?" I asked. Garret and Victoria's mom stood by, waiting for my reply.

"Sure, Rowan. But get back soon, okay? Bye. Love ya." She hung up.

"What did she say?" Victoria's mom asked me. I nodded. "She told me I could stay." I handed the phone back to her, and she dialed Garret's number. I watched as he conversed for a while. Then he nodded as well.

"Good. Let's get the dinner ready," Victoria's mom said. "You two can help me." And with that, we began to cook.

We chopped berries, cut vegetables, sliced thin layers of meat, and helped monitor the rice while it was steaming. Victoria came down to help us as well. Although my hands were still tired from the Yache berries, the smell of the food cooking gave me strength and the four of us quietly cooperating made it all worthwhile.


End file.
